Brahma X Buckeye homogenized flock project

[Tahai]

Hi All, I am toying with the idea of creating a homogenized Brahma x Buckeye flock for long term meat production.

My hoped for results are:

1. a clean legged bird
2. larger than a buckeye
3. faster maturity than a brahma
4. possible better heat tolerance than brahma.

I live in upstate Pennsylvania, USA. Because we have sometimes brutal winters, long muddy springs, and variable summer heat issues, I need the pea-combs and the clean legs. (I am aware there are other meat breeds to choose from, but I like the Brahmas).

Have any of you had a flock like this already? If so, would you share your experiences? Or do you know of a breeder who has what I'm looking for already stabilized?

Thanks in advance,

Tahai

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I have not. This sounds interesting. I have two Brahmas and I am impressed by their agility. I also had two Buckeyes and I do find them to be heat tolerant. Will be following along to see how it goes—I suspect breeding the leg feathers out and keeping the girth will be tricky. But since you will be eating the culls it doesn’t really matter.

 

[ABQ chicken keeper]

I live in upstate Pennsylvania, USA. Because we have sometimes brutal winters, long muddy springs, and variable summer heat issues, I need the pea-combs and the clean legs. (I am aware there are other meat breeds to choose from, but I like the Brahmas).

Are you expecting your eventual chicken to be a certain color?

 

[AinaWGSD]

I'll be following along to see how it goes! I have buckeyes and malines, which are a feather footed breed although their leg weathering is much less proliferous than brahma. After both malines cockerels had pretty severe frostbite on their combs I have been trying with the idea of adding the pea comb gene from the buckeyes.

 

[ABQ chicken keeper]

I'll be following along to see how it goes! I have buckeyes and malines, which are a feather footed breed although their leg weathering is much less proliferous than brahma. After both malines cockerels had pretty severe frostbite on their combs I have been trying with the idea of adding the pea comb gene from the buckeyes.

Where did you acquire your Maline birds?

 

[AinaWGSD]

Where did you acquire your Maline birds?

Mine came from Chicken Scratch Poultry, their stock came from Greenfire Farms.

 

[Amer]

I think maybe you should just get standard bred Buckeyes instead of introducing the Brahmas. In my experience, Buckeyes are some of the biggest and fastest growing birds around when they are well bred (hatchery Buckeyes are small.) Plus you can selectively breed them for size without doing an outcross to mess things up. When selecting lines that are not the ideal size, I find it only takes a few generations to change the size of the birds if you weigh birds and always select the largest offspring.

 

[Tahai]

@ABQ chicken keeper, from what ChatGPT tells me, they will be the buckeye chestnut color with a few random quirks. Color is not a concern for me.

 

[Tahai]

I think maybe you should just get standard bred Buckeyes instead of introducing the Brahmas. In my experience, Buckeyes are some of the biggest and fastest growing birds around when they are well bred (hatchery Buckeyes are small.) Plus you can selectively breed them for size without doing an outcross to mess things up. When selecting lines that are not the ideal size, I find it only takes a few generations to change the size of the birds if you weigh birds and always select the largest offspring.

I'm coming to that realization myself I'm looking at Cackle Hatchery and Meyers as my only reasonably priced options. Do you have experience with or opinions on the quality of the Buckeyes from each of these hatcheries?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I think my Buckeyes came from Hoovers and they are pretty chonky. Here is a picture of them